engine power

[Truckbuck9900]

hi I am new in trains. are there different powered engines or are they all standard

[Truckbuck9900]

ok thanks for the info

[jbrock27]

Are you asking if different motors take varying voltages to get going?

Are you interested in DC or DCC? 

HO scale or another scale?

[Truckbuck9900]

well i am wondering if some engines have more power to pull more cars or do you have to hook 2 engines together? I have DCC.

[jbrock27]

Yes.  As a rule and not an absolute, the heavier the loco, the more pulling power it tends to have.  And yes, consisting 2 locos each with power can have the ability to pull more cars.  That is something you would have to experiment with as there is a power to weight ratio to consider.  Grades will also play a role in how many cars can get towed along.

[phillyreading]

Another thing about running 2 engines together, this happens in O scale, is you need to match the engine speed of the 2 engines being used. Like you can run 2 SD-45's from the same company together if they are from the same time frame. Don't use a GP-30 and an SD-45 together as they may have different gear ratios.
Mixing 2 different companies engines together, same model engine, can be tricky sometimes.

Lee F.